How Europe Underdeveloped Africa

Book • 2018

In 'How Europe Underdeveloped Africa,' Walter Rodney argues that the underdevelopment of Africa was a direct result of European colonial exploitation and imperialism.

He contends that the wealth created by African labor and resources was seized by European capitalist countries, while restrictions were imposed on Africa's ability to utilize its economic potential.

The book details how the slave trade, colonial policies, and the division of Africa by European powers hindered African development and contributed to the growth of European capitalism.

Rodney emphasizes that underdevelopment is not an intrinsic property of Africa but a historical product of capitalist expansion and imperialism.

Mentioned by

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Mentioned in 6 episodes

Mentioned by Speaker 1 when discussing the disruption of trade networks in Africa.

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Mentioned by

Robin D.G. Kelly

as a book he had read and that made him want to study political economy.

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Mentioned by

Robin D.G. Kelly

as a book that influenced his interest in political economy.

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Recommended by Andre, offering a historical materialist explanation of development and underdevelopment.

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Erwähnt von

Nancy Fraser

im Kontext der Unterentwicklung Afrikas und Asiens durch Europa.

S03E29 - Nancy Fraser on Alternatives to Capitalism

Referenced by Robert Raymond when discussing uneven trade and development in Africa.

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Mentioned by Joel to illustrate the concept of underdevelopment as a result of European and North American investment.

Ep 61 - Foundations of Leninism

Mentioned by

Robin D.G. Kelly

as a book he read that made him want to study political economy.

Dig: Pie Down Here w/ Robin D. G. Kelley

Mentioned by

Lars Cornelissen

as an argument being put forward by anti-colonial thinkers.

Lars Cornelissen, "Neoliberalism and Race" (Stanford UP, 2025)

Mentioned as a book that captured the argument by anti-colonial thinkers, suggesting that Europe was to blame for the poverty experienced elsewhere in the world.